For 15 years, 12 cans have waited at the entrance of the Spinoza Building, until the moment when they are finally opened this year. The first can to be emptied in October was the can of dreams for science, delivered in 2008 by the research group of Theo Rasing, Professor of Experimental Solid State Physics. The unveiling of the dreams in the remaining cans will follow in the coming months.
Theo Rasing was there in person when ‘his’ first can was emptied, during a festive gathering at the Spinoza Building in mid-October. “I really have no idea what I wrote down as a dream back then,” Rasing said prior to the unveiling of the old dreams. “I hope it was not too pompous.” One thing Rasing knew for sure he had not dreamed about was winning major research grants, let alone the Nobel Prize. “If I had dreamed of such things at all, I would have kept them to myself. And dreaming about research grants is kind of low-hanging fruit. I knew we would be bringing in funding for our institute anyway.”
Many dreams have come true
The ‘science’ can also included a handful of dreams from staff at the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM), Rasing's research group. After unpacking the can, Rasing went through the old dreams, some of which turned out to have been a bit too ambitious. He read his own dreams last: about the IMM growing into a leading institute with a global reputation. “That certainly came true,” he says, as did his dream about the growing appeal of Nijmegen's science study programmes. And another dream also came true: scientists from all over the world finding their way to the then still new Huygens building. “We thought at the time that the Huygens building might be too big, but it is already too small.”
“In 2008, I apparently dreamed mostly about developments at the science faculty and our then High Field Magnet Laboratory, as well as a bit about my own research. Fortunately, both of these have largely come true,” says Rasing as he looks back on his dreams. Not bad in view of what we know now, because his own work, which would lead to a major breakthrough – superfast switching of magnets with a laser pulse – was still based on faulty assumptions in 2008. “It took at least another five years for us to come up with a good foundation.”
Instructive dreams
Carlo Buise, the Radboud university medical center coordinator for sustainability and other programmes calls the unveiling of the dreams an instructive experience. “It's great that Rasing was able to see so many of his own dreams come true. Who knows, maybe writing those dreams down had something to do with it.” As for the fate of the remaining dreams, in particular also those of students, it will become clear once all the cans are unpacked later this year. The dreams will be shared with everyone via a digital edition.
“Let our dreams come true once again,” says Buise about his intention to repeat the 2008 project. “I would love to have new dreams from students and staff put on paper, especially also with a focus on a sustainable campus.” Buise is also thinking about an educational project, in collaboration with the Honours Academy and the Green Office, to reflect on the meaning of dreams in shaping the future. “Capturing these new dreams in a time capsule will allow future students and lecturers to connect their dreams with those of the past. Dreams can give direction to our thinking about the future.”
The dreams were wrapped as a gift for the 100-year-old University in 2008. The project – Canned dreams waiting re-vealed – was carried out by artists Niek Verschoor and Jack van Mildert.
The PDF document with all the dreams from 2008 will be made available at the end of this year via the Green Office website. More information on the new dreams project will follow later.